Medical Models of Addiction
Medical Models of Addiction
This chapter offers an explicit description of the assumptions of medical models, the different forms they may take, and the challenges they face in providing explanations with solid evidence of addiction. Medical models of addiction imply that there are in principle clear criteria for the differential diagnosis of addiction. The chapter shows that the predominant working medical model of addiction based on the mesolimbic dopamine system spans multiple levels from molecules to behavior, and highlights the role of social factors in onset, current addiction, remission, and relapse. In general, it illustrates that the medical models of addiction are bold, interesting, and parsimonious accounts, and have directed a research program which has produced many important results.
Keywords: medical models, addiction, mesolimbic dopamine system, behavior, social factors
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